“I wrote this after our first meeting.”
Esperanza held it but did not open it.
“Why did you keep it?”
“I hoped one day you would ask what I remembered.”
“What does it say?”
Elena smiled faintly.
“That should be your choice too.”
They embraced at the doorway.
It was awkward at first.
Then familiar in a way neither could explain.
The sun was low when the motorcar turned back toward the convent.
Esperanza sat in the rear seat with Elena’s letter unopened beside her.
Mother Caridad watched the road.
Doctor Paloma drove more slowly than before.
“We should telephone the convent,” she said. “They will be expecting us.”
“We will stop at the next village,” Mother Caridad replied.
Esperanza looked out at the fields.
She felt tired, but not lost.
The mystery remained. Father Esteban’s role was still unclear. Sister Beatriz might know something—or might only have been used by someone she trusted. The pregnancy itself carried questions no one could yet answer.
